Welcome back to the new school year and a very special welcome to all of our new families and our 2020 prep students who will be starting on Monday.

Our students seem very happy to be back and they have all settled well into their new classrooms.

This week we also welcome new staff to our school community – Amy McFarlane (Leading Teacher), Hayley Rider (Prep teacher), Ellise Christensen (Grade 1/2 teacher) and Andrea Hardwick (Grade 1/2 teacher).

As we begin a new year, it’s a good chance for some reminders:

- Please make sure all of your child’s belongings are labelled clearly with their name.

- We are a ‘nude food’ school. Please don’t send food with wrappers to school. We have crates outside all classrooms so children can put their named containers in them to avoid getting lost.

- Please pack your child’s recess snack separately to their lunch as they eat their snack outside.

- The staff car park is only for staff during the hours of 8am - 4pm. Students are not permitted to walk through this area as it’s not safe.

- Any visitors to the school must come through the main front gate and report to the office.

- We very much value support from families. If you or a family member would like to assist please apply for a working with children check (this is free). Once you receive your card, please bring it to the office so that we can photocopy it and keep it on file. We will have a parent helper course this term (date will be confirmed on Compass).

- Terms 1 and 4 are hats on terms. All students are required to wear a sunsmart hat during sport and break times. Hats (as well as other uniform items) can be purchased from the uniform shop. The uniform shop is located in the building where the prep rooms are and is open on Tuesdays 8:30 – 9:00am and Thursdays 3:00 – 3:30pm.

- All students needs to be in full school uniform. Please note that sports skirts and leggings are not part of our uniform policy. Students are required to wear shorts, tracksuit pants or the summer/winter school dress.

- Any students who arrive after 9:00am must sign in at the office and collect a late pass. Students arriving at school late must be accompanied by an adult or the parent needs to call the office to explain the reason for being late.

New system for students leaving early

We are trying to minimise disruptions to classrooms as much as possible. If you need to collect your child early please do so just before or after break times (11:00am, 11:30am, 1:30pm or 2:15pm). You will need to come into the school office to sign them out and you will then be given a pass to take to your child's teacher.

Communication

All communication takes place via Compass. This includes consent and payment for excursions/incursions/camps, bookings for parent/teacher interviews, student reports, important school dates and fundraising activities. If you do not have your log in details please contact the school office. In addition to Compass we also have a school Facebook page and website. We mostly use the Facebook page to share and celebrate the special activities that take place at school.

We are always looking for ways to improve so if you have any feedback on any aspects of our school please send me an email – Conibeer.lisa.l@edumail.vic.gov.au or make a time to come and see me.

Coronavirus Update

At this stage, anyone who has travelled to the province of Hubei is being asked to stay home for 14 days from the date of return. If you have any questions please contact the school office.

Attendance

Regular attendance at school is extremely important. High absenteeism impacts significantly on student learning. All absences must be accounted for. If your child is going to be away please mark this on Compass and explain the reason for the absence. If you are wanting to take extended leave for a family holiday please call the school office and make a time to meet with me to discuss your individual circumstances.

Dogs

A reminder that last year school council made the decision that dogs are no longer permitted on school grounds. Please ensure that if you bring your dog to school that you arrange to meet your child at the school gate. When around any of the children, please make sure that an adult has control of the dog at all times.

Dates to remember